![]() Left unchecked, the hurt will lead to anger, which will in turn morph into bitterness. Anyone who clings to a grudge remains trapped in their own hurt. Letting go of an offense can be difficult, but it is necessary for anyone who hopes to leave the past behind them. Indeed, in his fight for social justice, he saw forgiveness as "the solution of the race problem." Many people, and indeed, many Christian people, have a hard time showing such compassion and forgiveness for the minor offenses that people show them in everyday life. Rather than seeking revenge for every little slight, he proposed that we offer to forgive the wrongdoer and seek reconciliation. MLK chose instead to promote an attitude of forgiveness in a time when most of us would not have faulted him for wanting retribution instead. Martin Luther King, Jr., a man who always held strongly to his Christian faith, offered this wonderfully encouraging quote for why we should not seek to hurt those who hurt us: "The old law of an eye for an eye leaves everyone blind." Jesus taught that we are meant to forgive each other for our transgressions, and He Himself never failed to offer forgiveness to those who sought it from Him. This kind of attitude may not only be emotionally damaging to all parties involved, but spiritually damaging as well. However, this response does nothing to resolve the issue. If someone hurts us, we want to hurt them back. "An eye for an eye." That is the instinctual way most of us respond to an offense. By Spiritual Bridge Staff in Spiritual Wellness
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